When to go to an emergency department

Each injury unit is linked to an emergency department (ED) in a hospital. If you are in an injury unit and need to be admitted to hospital, you will be referred directly to the linked hospital.

What injury units can treat

Adult patients

suspected broken bones to legs, from knees to toes

suspected broken bones to arms, from collarbone (clavicle) to fingertips

all sprains and strains

minor facial injuries (including oral, dental and nasal injuries)

minor scalds and burns

wounds, bites, cuts, grazes and scalp lacerations

small abscesses and boils

splinters and fish hooks

foreign bodies in eyes/ears/nose

minor head injury (fully-conscious patients, who did not experience loss of consciousness or have more than one episode of vomiting after the head injury)

Children aged 5 and older

suspected broken bones to legs, from knees to toes

suspected broken bones to arms, from collarbone (clavicle) to fingertips

any sprain or strain

minor facial injuries (including oral, dental and nasal injuries)

minor scalds and burns

wounds, bites, cuts, grazes and scalp lacerations

splinters and fish hooks

foreign bodies in eyes/ears/nose

minor head injury (fully-conscious children, who did not experience loss of consciousness or vomit after the head injury)

What injury units may not treat

Injury units will not treat any child younger than 5 years.

Adult patients

conditions due to medical illness, for example, fever, seizures, headache

suspected serious injury or inability to walk following a fall from a height or a motor vehicle collision. Patients with neck pain or back pain that started on the day of injury should attend an emergency department rather than an injury unitinjury causing chest pain, abdominal pain or shortness of breath

serious head injury

chest pain

respiratory conditions

abdominal pain

gynaecological problems

neck/back pain

pregnancy-related conditions

pelvis or hip fractures

injuries due to self-harm

Children aged 5 and older

any child of any age with a medical illness, for example, fever, seizures, respiratory symptom

non-traumatic limp or non-use of a limb

injuries following a fall from a height or a motor vehicle collision

serious head injuries

abdominal pain

gynaecological problems

injuries due to self-harm

neck pain or back pain

Fees

You will pay €100 to attend an injury unit. This is the same cost as the emergency department (ED).

If you are referred from an injury unit to an ED, you will only pay this fee once.